


Secrets Within

by Miki_Mecheta



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Accepting the past, Gen, Jack's Family - Freeform, Memorials, Memories, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-10
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-04 05:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1077403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miki_Mecheta/pseuds/Miki_Mecheta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every Guardian has learned to face his or her past. Every Guardian, that is, save one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets Within

Sometimes, our greatest secrets are the ones we hide from ourselves. The things we keep  locked up inside.

* * *

A cool breeze blasted its way through the ornate hallways of the Tooth Palace, heralding Jack Frost’s arrival to the kingdom. As usual, the wintery visitor immediately rushed to the central platform of the palace, eager to visit his fellow Guardian. As he zoomed into the now familiar room with its coin dispensers and bustling fairies, he called out, “Hey, Tooth, I just finished up bringing a beauty of a blizzard to Japan and…”

The frost child stopped mid-sentence, his bright eyes glancing around, searching for the Guardian of Innocence. Tiny tooth fairies were everywhere, but their leader was nowhere to be seen.

Jack smiled; it looked like tonight was one of Tooth’s rare “out in the field” adventures. Maybe he’d see if he could find her before she got back. After all, he was always in the mood for a good race and Tooth was an excellent challenger.

With that thought in mind, he turned to leave, only to have his progress halted by a familiar tugging on his hoddie. Only one fairy took that liberty. He glanced down into tiny, mismatched eyes and smiled. “Hey, Baby Tooth, don’t you have work to do?”

A fury of chirping and several tugs later, a laughing Jack was letting the petite fairy guide him through the shimmering hallways to an unknown destination somewhere in the vast corridors of the palace. As the duo sped past rows and rows of teeth holders, Jack tried to ask his tiny guide where she was taking him, but the little fairy only gave him mysterious glances in reply.

Their rapid flight finally came to a halt before a closed door, the only one he’d ever seen in this place of airy corridors. Curiosity peaked, the immortal teenager pushed open the door and walked inside. The room beyond the door was small, only the size of Jamie’s bedroom, but beautifully decorated with intricate, swirling patters of silver, blue, and purple which formed into abstract images that were oddly reminiscent of the sea. At the far wall of the room sat Tooth, her feet gently folded beneath her and her eyes focused on the lit match in her dainty fingers as she carefully lit a white candle. Once the wick had burst into flames and slowly begun to melt the alabaster wax, the sweet smell of Jasmine flooded the room, making Jack feel sleepy.

Her task complete, Tooth turned to face her visitors, a kind smile on her face.

“Jack, what are you doing here? I hadn’t expected to see you until next week!”

Jack shrugged as he fought back a yawn and tried to keep his eyes from drooping shut. “I finished up in Japan yesterday and decided to come visit before I reigned in the storms on Everest. They’ve been acting up again.”

The winged Guardian laughed and motioned for Jack to take a seat beside her. “Well, if you’re here to visit, then you may as well sit down with me. You look like you could use a rest.”

The floating teen gently alighted on the ground and let Baby Tooth take up her favorite perch atop his shoulder before walking forward, glancing around the room as he did so and trying to figure out its purpose.

Sensing the source of her companion’s questioning gazes, Tooth answered the unspoken query. “It’s a memory room!”

Jack looked back at his fellow Guardian, who was now almost directly in front of him, and tilted his head to the side. “Huh?”

“This,” Tooth began, waving her hand around to indicate the room, “is a memory room. It’s where I come whenever I want to visit my memories.”

“Oh.” Jack sat down by her side and glanced around with renewed curiosity. “So it’s like your own, personal tooth holder?”

“Not exactly. This room doesn’t have the power to bring back the memories that my baby teeth would have held, it’s more of a memorial to my memories, my family in particular.”

Jack’s shoulders stiffened, but Tooth was far too caught up in her explanation to notice.

“They’re long gone and, when I became a Guardian, I didn’t bring anything but the memories of my past life with me, so I created this room as a way to physically represent those times. I light a candle in here on a few, special days of the year: the birthdays of those I held dear, my parent’s wedding anniversary, my birthday, and the day I became a Guardian.”

She turned to look at Jack, her face beaming, but the smile quickly faded into a frown when she saw the look on his face. “Jack, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just, why do you want to remember someone who you can never see again?”

“Just because they’re long gone doesn’t mean I want to forget them, Jack. My family were the ones who taught me the things that helped to make me a Guardian, they shaped who I am today. I can’t forget their love just because they’re no longer here to show it.”

Jack remained silent, staring at the flickering candle for a long while before jumping to his feet, almost knocking Baby Tooth from her perch. As the little fairy fluttered into the air, chirping with indignation, Jack grinned at Tooth and said, “Well, if today’s a special day to remember your family, then I don’t want to bother you!”

Then he was gone, out the door and into the sky, leaving only an icy breeze and Tooth’s cry of “Jack, I don’t mind” in his wake

As the breeze faded away, Tooth rose to her feet, taking Baby Tooth into her hand as she whispered, “If I didn’t know better, Baby, I would have said he looked like he was going to cry…”

* * *

E. Aster Bunnymund’s whole body tensed as he felt the familiar chill creeping into his Warren that could only mean one thing: Frost.

“Alright Frosty, I know you’re here, so come on out and no funny stuff!”

With a wave of happy laughter, the hoddie clad sprite of winter dropped out of the air and landed before his Aussie friend with his arms raised in a gesture of surrender. “I’m unarmed, see? I just finished up reigning in some snow storms in the Himalayas and thought you could use a little visit! You must be bored waiting around for Easter.”

The Pooka smirked and crossed his arms over his chest before motioning behind Jack. “Nah, I got all this to keep me busy.”

Jack turned around and surveyed the sprawling garden that the Guardian of Hope had been working on before his arrival.

“Well, it’s a very nice carrot patch.”

“It’s not a carrot patch, mate. Do you see any vedgies ‘round here?”

Jack looked closer and saw that Bunny was right; from one end of the garden to the other, all he could see were flowers. He turned back to the elder Guardian, his face a mask of confusion. “Those aren’t painting flowers, so what’s the garden for?”

Bunny’s smirk softened into a smile as he looked out across the blossoming flora. “It’s an old Pooka tradition; we keep gardens instead of making gravestones. A memorial to life and new beginnings instead of a memorial to what we’ve lost.”

“Oh.” Jack’s grin faded and his gaze fell to the ground as he began to shuffle his feet. “So this is a monument to…”

“My family, yeah.”

Jack was silent for a moment, but then he took a deep breath and looked up into startled green eyes with a face oddly full of emotion. “I know what happened to them! Why would you want to remember that?”

“Jack…” Bunny started and then stopped, unsure of what to say. After a brief pause to collect his thoughts, the Guardian of Hope started once more. “Yes, the way I lost my family was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, but I can’t let one terrible memory pollute all the good ones. I wouldn’t be a Guardian if it weren’t for the lessons they taught me.”

Jack’s hands were balled into fist now and Bunny had the bizarre feeling that the winter child was going to hit him, but then Jack let his fists fall loose and his face formed into an easy smile. “Well, I guess you don’t need me bugging you if you’ve got weeding to do, huh cottontail?”

Then he was gone, zooming off towards the tunnels that lead to the human world.

Bunny stared after his departing friend for a long time before scratching his head and asking the now still air, “What was that all about?”

* * *

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about me, Phil. I’m _helping_ this time!”

The burly Yeti gave Jack a pointed look as the Guardian of Fun carried North’s latest carving down to the work room floor. Ever since he’d been named a Guardian, Jack had found that he actually enjoyed helping out in the workshop. He’d learned more about shaping ice from North in the last few months than he had in all of his 300 years of solitude.

Once he’d set down the ice sculpture on an empty work table, Jack hurried back towards the ice chambers to get a new block. He’d offered to just make the stuff for North, but the Guardian of Wonder insisted that “aged ice is best for sculpting!” so Jack had shrugged and let the matter be.

He turned the corner towards the ice chambers and stopped, trying to remember which door was the right one. After a moment’s hesitation, he shrugged, flew to the closest one, and yanked it open, figuring that he may as well just try them all until he found the correct door.

The room looked like any other in the winter fortress as far as its design went, wooden walls and well-insulated windows which let in the wintery sun, but this room’s contents wasn’t like any other. Against the window, so that the sun’s rays would reflect through them, stood a series of ice sculptures, each of which was formed into a small child.

With a sinking heart, Jack got the feeling that he knew what he’d stumbled onto, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

He was still there, looking at the ice children, when North came to find him.

“Ah, Jack, I was wondering if you were lost. I see you now you were distracted by my greatest creation.”

Jack nodded numbly, knowing what was coming next. Honestly, did everyone have one of these stupid things?

“Is memorial to my children. Beautiful, no?”

“Did they, I mean, did you… what happened to them?”

North was startled to hear the normally happy teenager sound so lost, but he answered the question all the same. “Only Guardians are immortal. My children grew up, lived their lives, and died like normal humans.”

“Doesn’t that hurt, though? Knowing that you’ve outlived the kids you helped raise? Knowing that they’re gone?”

North walked past Jack and into the room, coming to rest before the ice children. He stood there, tracing his hand along the icy hair of a young girl with a wistful smile on his bearded face, for a minute or so before replying, “Sometimes, but is okay. We are collection of our experiences, Jack. One of my greatest adventures was being father. Protecting them helps me protect children today.

“Is what I know they would have…”  North trailed off as he turned to face his young protégé, only to realize he was speaking to thin air. Jack was gone.

* * *

When Sandy found Jack, the frost child was skipping rocks against his pond.

The Guardian of Imagination had been keeping a watchful eye on Jack’s pond every time he passed due to a slowly growing worry for the boy’s wellbeing that had been brought on by the other Guardians. A visit to Tooth a little over a month ago had given him the odd story of a visit cut short, a stop off at Bunny’s for a slice of carrot cake several days later had brought him another tale of peculiar reactions, and just last night North had told his longtime friend of Jack’s strange flight. When put together, the little Guardian found that the stories formed a clear picture of what was troubling the young sprite.

Now that he had the boy in his sights, Sandy was going to get to the bottom of this.

As he approached the teen on a cloud of dream sand, Jack glanced up, surprised but clearly pleased to see his visitor.

“Hey, Sandman! What brings you to my humble pond?”

Sandy formed his cloud into three images, one right after the other. First, Tooth with a candle in her hands and Jack flying away. Then, Bunny standing with his arms folded and a look on confusion on his face as Jack sped off. Finally, North scratching his head in befuddlement and searching for Jack with a group of children in the background. With each image, Jack’s smile faded more and more until he was standing with his shoulders slumped and his arms wound tightly around his chest, looking for all the world like a child lost in the cold.

Sensing the young one’s troubled mind, Sandy glided closer and gently placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder, waiting for the teen to speak.

It didn’t take long. Soon, Jack was off and babbling, “It’s nothing Sandy, I just don’t… you see, they all have these memories and they’ve had time to… I guess I… I don’t… when I… oh, this is hopeless!”

The teen shoved his hands into his hair and let out a frustrated grown, but Sandy simply remained hovering and waited for Jack to continue.

After a few more frustrated sounds, Jack started again. “For so long, I wanted my memories back and then, when I finally got them back, I realized just what I’d lost. It was… hard, too hard. So I pushed them away and tried to forget about them, but then I learned that the others had memories that were just as hard as mine. They’ve all lost families and friends. They all left a life behind, but they’re okay with that! How can they be okay with that? It hurts! When I think of my little sister I don’t feel happy, I feel angry.”

Jack’s rant went on and on as he told Sandy of the life he lost, the family he felt had been robbed from him. How angry he was that, without his memories, he had never known to go back and see his little sister grow up. How he didn’t know if she’s ever had kids of her own or not. How his limited memories didn’t even show him his mother’s face. He talked and talked until the words ran out and Jack was left panting from the exertion, feeling exhausted from finally telling someone what he’d been feeling.

The drained teen swayed on his feet and would have fallen over if Sandy hadn’t caught him.

“Sorry, Sandy, I doubt you were expecting to have to deal with that, huh?”

Sandy just smiled and carefully sprinkled a bit of dream sand over Jack’s head, sending the young Guardian off to a deep slumber.

Once he was certain Jack was fast asleep, Sandy carefully laid the boy down by his lake and took off into the night, knowing just what he needed to do.

* * *

Jack awoke to a tiny pecking at his cheek and opened his eyes to see Baby Tooth looking at him with wide, violet eyes that made Jack laugh as he sat up.

“Hey, how’d you know where to find me? Were you collecting teeth in Burgess?”

The little fairy shook her head and pulled at Jack’s hoodie, drawing him to his feet.

“Okay, okay, I’m up, I’m up! What is it?”

“Jack! You are awake!”

Jack whipped around to find a beaming North standing at the edge of the nearby forest.

“Come, my friend, we have surprise for you!”

Jack glanced over at Baby Tooth, but she simply shrugged. Her job had been to watch over Jack and wake him up, she didn’t know what Mama Tooth and the other Guardians had been up to.

Deciding that he may as well see what was up, Jack walked towards to Cossack Guardian and let him lead as they ventured into the forest.

They didn’t have far to go and soon they’d come to where the other Guardians were waiting under the sprawling eves of a weeping willow tree.

Jack looked at the assembly in confusion. “Guys, what’s going on?”

Tooth fluttered forward and took his hand as she said, “Come, Jack, you need to sit down here.”

She guided him to a seat on an old log and the other Guardians took spots around him until they formed a circle.

Bunny spoke first. “Sandy told us what’s been eatin’ ya, mate.”

Jack stiffened at the words, but Bunny continued without pause.

“First off, you shoulda told us, ya gumby! We’re a family, and what affects one of us, affects us all!”

Tooth cut in here. “But we understand why you didn’t. Facing your past is a hard thing, Jack. We’ve had centuries to come to terms with our loses, but you’ve only just found out what you’ve lost.”

“So we help you!” North finished in his booming voice and pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket.

Jack opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but stopped when North began to read.

“Emily Overland, for her first Christmas, received a stuffed bear by the request of her elder brother, Jackson. For her second Christmas, she received a set of building blocks…” and so the Guardians sat and listened as North read out the list of everything Emily had ever received for Christmas, followed by a list of everything the child had ever done to be deemed a member of the nice list, “…helping her friend Sally take care of her sick mother…” and then, North read the final notes on when Emily grew up and stopped believing, but kept belief alive by telling her children the stories of the Guardians.

Now it was Tooth’s turn. The Guardian of Innocence handed Jack a tiny portrait of his sister, the same kind one would find on a tooth holder. “I can’t show you her memories, but I can give you this.”

Last came Bunny, who said nothing and simply handed Jack a basket of seeds.

Jack looked down at the seeds and then glanced back up at the Pooka before asking in a husky voice, “What are these for?”

Here, Sandy stepped in, motioning for Jack to look at the other side of the tree.

When Jack saw what was there, he smiled and looked back at the other Guardians with bright, shinning eyes before kneeling down and planting the seeds. Once the task was done, he stepped back and looked at the creation before him before nodding firmly. It would take a long time before he was as comfortable with this as the other Guardians, but he had all the time in the world and a new family willing to help.

* * *

Beneath the gently cradling eves of a willow tree sits the frozen statue of a young girl. A smile graces her long-gone face and, when the sun is at just the right angle, her eyes light up as they once did so long ago.

Around her frozen feet grow snowdrops, forget-me-nots, morning glories, and lilies-of-the-valley in a sprawling blanket of blue and white that is oddly reminiscent of winter and every year, on the day Jackson Overland became Jack Frost, he lights a candle to remember her by.

**Author's Note:**

> Sandy doesn't actually have a family according to the books, so, yeah....
> 
> Hope you liked it!


End file.
